The Dragon and The Prince
by Yuichan1120
Summary: Lucy, a princess who hid from the people because of a curse. A beauty by day and a beast by night. Natsu, a prince who seeks adventure and wishes to slay a dragon. The two of them meet and establishes a connection. The only problem, the Prince must slay the Dragon.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

Princesses on towers, princes and knights slaying dragons, and true love's kiss; everything seems to be the cliché fairy tale. However, what if one must slay something more than a dragon to get the princess, will it still be of the norm? What if the princess that every prince seeks has beauty skin deep? Would a prince still fall in love with a monster?

"Good morning younger brother of mine!" exclaimed Prince Gray as he slammed the large oak doors of his brother's room. The dark-haired prince opened up the curtains on the tall French windows which let the sun inside the wide quarters. The beams of light touched the face of the younger prince who was still feeling sleepy from yesterday's ball. The younger prince's hair was rose-pink; he scratched his hair as he tries to open his eyes. "Get out of bed brother! We have to get going!" the older royal was enthusiastic about today's planned events. "You get out of here Gray! I'm still quite sleepy" said the other prince as he covers his face with the large pillows. Gray sat down beside his brother. The bed was king-sized. The wide space was just perfect for his plan to wake his brother up. The dark-haired prince took the flower vase beside his brother's side table. The vase was full of water—cold water. The prince took it and poured the water on his brother's bed. He knew that the pink-haired prince hated the cold. He bolted instantly from the covers, punched a fist on his brother who was amused by what he did. "You know what, Gray? You can be quite a headache nowadays" stated the younger prince as he takes a towel and heads to the bathroom. -"You do know why, right?" –"Yes. In love?" –"Right you are, brother! You should look for a suitable princess as well" teased the older prince.

The doors once again opened. The trumpets sounded to announce the arrival of the Queen. The Queen was indeed a beautiful woman. Her long scarlet hair was kept on one side of her shoulder. She was always upfront and straight-forward. She also valued time and that meant if her two sons would not keep a good track of time, she'll scold them without second thoughts. "Good morning Gray, Natsu. I see you're not yet ready. Gray, I commend you for being early" stated the Queen with her usual stern voice. She looked at Natsu who immediately went inside the bathroom to get ready. Gray and the Queen were left to talk. "You know he's not ready, mom. Deal with it" stated Gray as he slammed his back on the sheets. "No need to tell me, son. Sometimes, I hope he's going to find a princess and be a little responsible—like you" replied the Queen as she looks out the windows. "He's not me, mom. He's going to come around soon enough" stated Gray as he closed his eyes. The trumpets again broadcasted, now even louder. The King came with his hands on his back. He looked around the room to look for his son. The blue-haired King looked very cheery. "Where is your younger brother Gray?" he asked with his often calming voice. "Your son's inside the bathroom, getting ready" interrupted the Queen. "He's tardy as usual, dad" exclaimed Gray as he stood up from the bed. Natsu came out of the bathroom, still drying his hair with his towel. He was wearing his princely clothes and his gentlemanly shoes. "Good morning mom, dad, and brother" stated Natsu as he combs his rose-pink hair. "Today's a very important day; remember to be on your best behaviors" stated the Queen.

"Good morning Happy" greeted a beautiful blonde lady. The cat licked her soft gentle face as she opens her eyes. She took her cat on her arms and walked straight to the window. She smiled as she saw the stunning sight of the early day. She pushed her hair behind her left ear. She looked down the window—way down. "I guess, it's always going to be like this" she was quite sad of that statement. The beautiful lady was locked up in a tower far away from the kingdom. She was beautiful, even Aphrodite would be ashamed of how stunning she was. Her hair was long and golden. She had the most dazzling smile that could melt the heart of any man that was in her presence. She was a beautiful girl who locked herself in a tower. Nobody has seen her and nobody knew who she was.

Natsu and his family went down to the great dining hall to have breakfast. Young Natsu was walking with his hands on the back of his head. He was pouting. He hated being with his family who often pushed him to find a suitable princess to woo. The young prince took a chance to go out of the castle when they took a turn on the way to the dining hall. He always walked behind his parents and brother so he could go out and see the outside world. He walked past the guards and into the servant's entrance. He went out and went around town. Every chance to get out was a chance to find a new adventure, thought the prince. He looked around from the vegetable vendors to the shoe-shiners. Suddenly, an old gypsy man caught his eye. He went closer to the man who was talking about a legend. He overheard something that was very interesting. It was about a dragon. "Excuse me sir. But what was it about a creature?" asked the prince as he leaned closer to the man sitting behind a wooden table. "You see gentlemen, there is said to be a dragon that dwells deep inside the forests" stated the gypsy as he spits out something from his mouth. His golden tooth caught Natsu's attention. He wondered how a common gypsy acquired such a stunning piece of jewelry. "I got it from the scale of a dragon, the golden dragon" he said as the men were awed. "Tell us more, good sir" exclaimed the prince as he got even more interested. "It was like this. I was getting wood from the deepest parts of the forest. The moon beamed, it was the only light that served me that night. As I took the last piece of wood from the ground, I heard a roar. I searched for it, curiously. My eyes met a creature so legendary that nobody has ever seen one before" he exclaimed as he stopped to drink. "A dragon…" stated the prince. "Aye! Not just any dragon, a golden dragon whose scales are more valuable than any gold we can find" he continued. "Have you seen the dragon again?" asked one of the listeners. "I am afraid not. Since that time, I have never seen it again" he replied with a snout. "How did you get that golden tooth?" asked Natsu who was now even more absorbed. "I slashed its tail with my axe and wounded it. When I took my axe after it flew away, a golden scale was caught on it" stated the man as he again took a drink. "If you will see it then it will be the most beautiful and unlucky creature that you can set your eyes upon" he added. "ROYAL GUARDS!" exclaimed one of the men. Every man who listened to the gypsy scattered. Natsu bit his lip and as he set his sight back on the gypsy, he already vanished. "Your highness, we're sent here to escort you back. The princess from Magnolia is in the castle already" stated one of the guards. The young prince raised his hands and shook his head. He gave a smirk as he headed back to the castle. Everyone around eyed each other. They just realized that it was the prince. "That was the prince?" asked one of the bystanders who was wearing a cloak with beautiful blonde hair.

-"Na—!" –"Yes mother, I'm sorry" apologized the young prince as he walked pass his mother. He kept looking down the ground—thinking about what the gypsy old man said. "Do dragons really exist?" he asked. "Yes they do" replied a stranger who stopped the prince in his tracks. "They exist. At least, that's what I read in books" exclaimed a beautiful young lady with white hair and pixie haircut. She was wearing a long blue dress with beautiful and intricate patterns. She also had a tiara on her head. She was unmistakably a princess. "Oh good. Brother, meet the princess of Magnolia, Lisanna. Lisanna, meet my rose-pink-haired brother, Natsu" interrupted Prince Gray who took Natsu on the shoulder. Lisanna curtseyed and the prince took her hand and kissed it. Prince Natsu was very much bewitched by the princess' beauty. She was indeed a beautiful lady and was well-mannered. The young prince was now more focused on knowing her more than dragons. The two walked around the garden as they got to know each other.

Makarov's Pub and Inn was a busy place where anyone can drink their woes away. The old pub had plenty of chairs and tables where the drunks cheer and make-merriments. The doors of the place then slammed open to reveal a person cloaked with mystery. There was hardly any facial feature to make out of the man who just came in. Everyone in the pub stopped from drinking and stared at the stranger who walked to the bar. "Can I get you something?" asked the big Elfman as he wiped the glasses clean. The man slammed 7 gold coins and Elfman gave him a key to one of the rooms upstairs. The cloaked being took it and walked upstairs. The tension ended and everyone started to drink once again. The man locked the door and took the cloak off. It was not a man at all; it was a young lady with long golden hair. She slammed her whole body on the bed and rolled over the sheets. She was delighted of what she saw on the marketplace. "I saw a prince, Happy! He was not only a prince but he was also handsome!" she exclaimed as she held the cat up high. It was the first time that Lucy ever left the tower. She wanted to see how the people were after a long time. It was fate that led her to see the young prince Natsu. "Happy, will I ever be normal again?" she asked as she slowly put the feline down beside her. She sat up on the end of the bed and thought of the curse cast on her by the witch Minerva a long time back. "A beauty by day and a beast by night, only a prince's kiss will true form come to light" she stated as her eyes centered on the ceiling. She took a pillow way over the end of the bed and slammed it on her face. She giggled and her feet swayed with her feelings. The young lady was officially in love. Her face was red and her heart thumped like drums played on the kingdom's yearly festivals.

Prince Natsu was walking around the garden with Princess Lisanna. They would stop from walking now and again when the princess saw a beautiful flower. She would lean down to have a better view of the palace's flowers. The roses were all blood-red, often soft pink and gentle yellow. The garden was the most beautiful part of the palace—everything in it was exquisite. The scenes were now even more attractive now that a princess was there to awe everyone in sight. The prince blushed and turned to his right as not to entertain the feelings growing inside his heart. The princess whose eyes were blue as the skies above simply gave off a smile that could melt his heart even more. Suddenly, a woman dressed in a dark brown dress came to have a talk with the princess. The woman was beautiful, a different kind of beautiful. She had two braids of hair and the rest was flown fabulously on her back. She had a stern look—worse than of the Queen Erza's. The prince excused himself and bowed as he went back to the dining hall. The princess waved goodbye to her prince. "Well played, daughter" applauded Queen Minerva. "Mother, I don't get why we should get the prince involve in our plans" the princess asked with anxiety in her voice. The Queen simply smirked and sat down on the seats placed near the garden. She rested her left arm on the seat's arm and crossed her legs. "Come on daughter. You know how it's like" explained the Queen as she magically conjured a glass of wine. "But the prince has nothing to do with what you did to the _princess"_ Lisanna exclaimed as she tried to voice out her sentiments. "He is the prince that the curse is talking about. He is the prince that will break the princess' curse" replied her mother as she eyed her. "But if you marry him, he will have no chance to look for the beautiful princess Lucy" her mother laughed diabolically as if knowing how to stop the princess' curse from being revoked. "Dazzle him Lisanna and make sure you have him wrapped around your finger" added the Queen as she finished the last drop of wine.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The blue sky was slowly painted in scarlet. The birds flew back to the woods. The people in the marketplace gathered their things and bundled them and one by one went home. Lucy saw the sun slowly setting and she could not believe herself that she got caught up with the circumstances. Her brown eyes widened and took the cloak, ran as fast as she can out of the pub. She ran towards the woods with Happy behind her. She stumbled upon the old gypsy man whom she bumped on her shoulder. She covered her face and went deeper into the forest. The gypsy man's eyebrows crossed. He sniffed the smell of the beautiful young lady. "A gypsy knows when something's wrong" he stated as he lighted his cigar. He left the knowledge to his own. The old gypsy man with his beard long as can be and his left eye smaller than the other; he walked back to find his fellow gypsies. The man played with his beard, twisting it again and again. He had a smirk on his face—he knew about Lucy.

Young prince Natsu was in the palace basement. There, he found a room where he used to always be in. He opened the wide redwood doors to reveal a centuries-old library where books were piled neatly on very tall shelves. The two-way staircase was old but was still majestic. He headed up to the second floor to look for a book regarding dragons. The library was dark and nothing served as light. Suddenly, a loud bang from below the staircase stopped the young prince. He went down to see what it was. He took his sword from its sheath. He positioned himself to attack if there was hardly any danger coming his way. Suddenly, a small twinkle from a wand lit up his vision. It was only the palace wizard, Loki. Loki was a tall and lean young-looking wizard. He had an almost orange-hue hair and he often wore glasses. The wizard was also looking for books for his new spell. "Your highness, forgive me for startling you" he apologized as he adjusted his glasses. "No worries Loki. Forgive me for drawing my sword" the prince said as he put his sword back on its sheath. The wizard then asked Natsu what he was doing in the basement library. The prince then leans forward and whispered to Loki. The young wizard nodded and then agreed to help in looking for the book that the prince sought to find. Both of the men went up to look for the book. The wizard waved his wand and the room lit up with candles. It was then easier to look for the book. The prince looked here and there. He kept wiping his forehead because of sweat. "Your highness, if I must, I can conjure a book from my memory that I have read years ago. If I'm not mistaken, it was about dragons" the wizard stated as he again adjusted his glasses. "Why didn't you say so?" the prince's eyes gleamed. The wizard, with a wave of his hand conjured a book from his memories and the prince was very amused. "Dragons are found in the deepest parts of forests. They can also be found on waters deep and blue. Dragons dwell in places where humans do not come in contact with. In some cases, dragons can take the form of humans by day and beasts at night" read the prince as he stopped. He got what he was looking for. Natsu thanked the wizard and went back upstairs. It was almost dinner time. The royal family was already in the dining hall. The long table was filled with delicious food made by the palace chef. There was the King's favorite, roasted turkey and the Queen's favorite, cakes of all known flavors. The family and the guests were already seated and waited for the young prince Natsu. The doors of the hall opened and there, Natsu's servant-in-waiting walked to the King. He leaned to whisper that the Prince could not come because of stomachache. The King apologized to the guests and continued with the feast.

Natsu whistled for his steed. He jumped boldly from his window onto his horse on the ground. He landed safely and again escaped from the servants' entrance. He looked for the gypsy whom was found in the forests. The gypsies were not allowed to live in the palace grounds. The prince knew where to find them. He finally arrived at the gypsies' tents. He looked princely and everyone flaunted in his feet. The gypsies asked for his sword, his horse and anything they can set their eyes on. "I seek the old gypsy man with long beard" the prince stated. Everyone stopped and eyed each other. "The old man that you seek is in those tents" one of the gypsies pointed. The prince went down from his horse and into the tents. He found the old gypsy smoking and playing cards. The prince investigated the place before he entered. "It is rude to lurk on doorways, young prince" stated the old gypsy as he blew a smoke on the ceiling. He extended his arm as if telling the prince to enter. Natsu was precocious. His sweat dropped from his forehead. "No need to be nervous your highness, come" said the man with a smile that showed his golden tooth. "My name is Natsu and I'm here to ask—" –"About dragons, am I correct?" –"Yes" –"Give me your hand and I shall read your fortune". The prince hesitantly gave his right hand but he showed it still. The old man held his hand and read his palm. The gypsy squinted; he then smirked at the young prince. "You will find not only a dragon, young prince but a beautiful maiden as well. She kept herself hidden these past years—waiting for a prince such as yourself to rescue her. But aye! Circumstances find it hard to bridge you two. You must slay the dragon but you can never keep the princess" stated the man as he smirked and looked straight into the eyes of Natsu. The rose-pink haired prince took his hand away and looked at his palm. "But I already met the princess whom I fell in love with" –"You do not love this princess, you are only bewitched by her beauty" –"Then, who is this princess that I must rescue?" –"She is a maiden with long golden hair and beauty beyond the fairest maiden in the kingdom"—"And the dragon?" –"You must choose to save your true love or slay the beast that holds her dear" –"Easy, I'll just slay the dragon" –"The maiden sleeps where the dragon awakes". This was a bit of bewilderment for the royal. He thanked the gypsy with a pouch of golden coins and headed to the deepest parts of the forest.

The night was dark and the moon beamed only to reveal the road heading deeper into the woods. The young prince who was riding his steed looked around to find a dragon. He was looking hard but no luck came to his side. Natsu was almost feeling sleepy. His eyes were heavy and his horse was also giving up. Right when he was about to turn around and go back, he heard wings flapping. The wind was strong and the leaves on the trees were pushed back by the majestic wings that brought forth strong gushes of breeze. The young prince covered his eyes as not to get blinded by the debris. In just a moment, the trees calmed down and the moon shone a creature only heard and read in legends. The creature slept just meters in front of the prince. Its wings were so large that it covered almost its whole body. Its tail was long that curled up as it slept. Its scales were dazzling—like gold! It was truly a creature of legends, it was a dragon. The prince's eyes widened. His heart beat harder than the thunder. He finally found what he was looking for. He went down his steed and took his sword from his side. With a slash from his weapon, the dragon roared as it was wounded on its arm. The dragon turned its brown eyes on the prince and roared as loud as it can. The prince stepped down and before he could strike another blow, the dragon lifted its left arm and pushed the prince away. Natsu fell unconscious as his head hit the rock behind him. The prince slept on the ground that night. His horse lay beside him and the dragon flew away.

It was almost dawn and the sun slowly rose up. Lucy was there sitting beside the prince who was still in slumber. "Lucy, are you okay?" asked her feline companion. "Don't worry Happy, I'm fine. It's just a scratch" she replied as she smiled at the talking cat. "He's very handsome, isn't he?" she was feeling glad, looking at the handsome young prince sleeping. She leaned closer to get a better look at the prince. When she was about to get closer, the prince slowly woke up. Lucy's glittering brown eyes met the prince's extraordinary onyx orbs. She stood up and stepped a few steps back. The prince stood up, drew his sword out of suspicion. He held it straight at the lady who wore a knee-length white dress. Natsu stepped closer as he held the sword in front of the lady, she stepped backward again and she fell on the waterfall. The narrow waters were not of convenience since she fell squarely on her buttocks. The prince dropped his sword and went to assist the young lady. "Are you okay?" he asked as he grabbed her arms. "No. I mean, yes, I'm okay" Lucy was feeling conscious. The damsel then struggled to keep her statement true. She grabbed her wounded left arm. "You're wounded. Who did this to you?" asked Natsu with concern in his voice. "No, it's okay. It's nothing. I scratched myself from running. The branches on the trees can be quite sharp" she said as she giggled. The prince then ripped a piece of his sleeve with his mouth and covered her wound with it. Lucy was speechless. Her heart pounded. "Thank you" –"It's nothing. My name is Natsu" –"I'm Lucy". The prince looked at Lucy with a smile. The lady looked away. The two young people sat down on the ground as they talked about random things. The prince was curious about how she got herself in the woods. "I live nearby" exclaimed the beauty. Then there was a deafening silence. The prince was feeling conscious about what he should say. The lady was simply shy. The prince sat with his legs far apart from each other and his arms supported him from behind. He looked at the skies being covered by the huge trees. The beautiful young maiden held her legs together with her arms and she looked at the ground in front of her. "Aren't you afraid of the dragon?" asked the prince to his new found friend. "What dragon? Oh! That dragon. No" she replied. "Come to the palace with me" suggested the prince as he stood up from the ground. "You'll have a faster recovery there. We have to treat your arm" he added. "Uhm. No, I'm okay here" she hesitated. "I can't leave this place" she added. The prince was confused, it showed on his face. "Well, you see Happy here needs me and he hates to leave the woods" Lucy grabbed the feline and showed him to the prince. Natsu shrugged the feeling off and rode his horse. He looked pretty handsome and dashing. "I'll be back. I'll come every night to see you"—"No! I mean, why at night when mornings are more convenient?"—"Oh. Okay then. See you, Lucy" he said as the horse rode boldly out of the woods. "This is not good, Lucy" stated Happy with concern. "I know Happy but at least I got to know him now" she replied with a bit of unease in her voice. "It's going to be my 18th birthday next week, the summer solstice" she added.


End file.
